When online reviews meet hyperdifferentiation: A study of the craft beer industry

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Clemons, Eric K.; Gao, Guodong 'Gordon'; Hitt, Lorin M.
• 署名单位: University of Pennsylvania; University System of Maryland; University of Maryland College Park
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0742-1222
• DOI: 10.2753/MIS0742-1222230207
• 发表日期: 2006
• 页码: 149-171
• 关键词: word-of-mouth; product variety; monopolistic competition; MARKET; IMPACT; line

摘要

We analyze how online reviews are used to evaluate the effectiveness of product differentiation strategies based on the theories of hyperdifferentiation and resonance marketing. Hyperdifferentiation says that firms can now produce almost anything that appeals to consumers and they can manage the complexity of the increasingly diverse product portfolios that result. Resonance marketing says that informed consumers will purchase products that they actually truly want. When consumers become more informed, firms that provide highly differentiated products should experience higher growth rates than firms with less differentiated offerings. We construct measures of product positioning based on online ratings and find supportive evidence using sales data from the craft beer industry. In particular, we find that the variance of ratings and the strength of the most positive quartile of reviews play a significant role in determining which new products grow fastest in the marketplace. This supports our expectations for resonance marketing.